Elections in Armenia

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Armenian Ruling Parties Clash In Yerevan

By Asbarez Staff on May 15th, 2009 and filed under Armenia, News.

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Supporters of Armenia’s two largest pro-government parties clashed in Yerevan on May 12 at an election campaign office of President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reports.

Scores of police were outside the Republican Party office in the capital’s Kanaker-Zeytun district to keep a group of activists of the Prosperous Armenia Party from “scuffling and quarreling” with Republican officials.

Newspapers report that the Prosperous Armenia attack was in retaliation for a beating earlier in the day of their comrades by Republican campaigners armed with clubs.

The opposition daily “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” said the beating was ordered by Arayik Kotanjian, the Republican Party head of the Kanaker-Zeytun district.

Kotanjian refused to comment to RFE/RL.

Gagik Mkrtchian, deputy head of the Republican Party branch in Kanaker-Zeytun, called the incident at the campaign office a “normal working process.”

Tensions between parties are high as municipal elections will be held on May 31 that will determine Yerevan’s mayor.

source: http://www.asbarez.com/2009/05/15/ar...sh-in-yerevan/
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People get your xxxx together, we don't need this we need stability or our enemies will use it against us. Like last year when Levon was protesting Azeris attacked our lines. They were defeated but they dared to attack us.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

U.S. Urges Clean Vote In Yerevan Municipal Elections

By Asbarez Staff on May 15th, 2009 and filed under Armenia, Featured Story, News, Top Stories, United States.

hillary-clinton3YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged President Serzh Sarkisian to ensure that the upcoming municipal elections in Yerevan are democratic and assured him of continued U.S. support for the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

She made the call in a letter reported by the Sarkisian’s office on Friday. “Secretary of State Clinton emphasized that a free and fair conduct of the upcoming elections of Yerevan’s Council of Elders is an opportunity [for the Armenian authorities] to renew a commitment to democratic principles,” the presidential press service said in a statement.

According to the statement, Clinton also addressed U.S.-Armenian relations and, in particular, the provision of additional U.S. economic assistance to Armenia under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program.

Washington froze about 30 percent of the $236.5 million aid package, approved in 2006, following last year’s disputed Armenian presidential election. A U.S. government agency handling the scheme said in March that the authorities in Yerevan have still not addressed U.S. concerns about the “status of democratic governance” in the country.

Sarkisian’s press service did not say if Clinton linked the unblocking of the MCA funds with the proper conduct of the May 31 polls in Yerevan. The U.S. State Department declined to give details of her letter.

The presidential statement also cited Clinton as saying that the United States will continue to “consistently support” efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and improve Armenia’s relations with Turkey. Washington was reportedly instrumental in the April 22 announcement by Ankara and Yerevan that they have agreed on a “roadmap” to normalizing bilateral ties.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised more questions about that agreement when he reiterated on Wednesday that Turkey will not reopen its border with Armenia until the Karabakh conflict is resolved. Sarkisian on Thursday criticized Erdogan’s statements but did not specify whether he thinks they preclude further progress in Turkish-Armenian negotiations.

Yerevan’s continuing cautious stance prompted on Friday fresh criticism from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which pulled out of Sarkisian’s coalition government in protest against his overtures to Ankara. Giro Manoyan, the ARF’s political director, said Erdogan’s remarks make it even more imperative for Armenia to halt the year-long dialogue with the Turks. Manoyan said that the only tangible result of that dialogue for the Armenian side was Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian’s May 4-5 visit to Washington during which he met Clinton.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

MALATIA-SEBASTIA COMMUNITY VOTES RE-COUNTING LAUNCHED IN RA PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE



RA Prosecutor General’s office has launched re-counting of votes of 8/01 polling station of Malatia-Sebastia community of Yerevan. The procedure is held in presence of CEC and RA Prosecutor General’s office representatives. No flagrant violations were fixed, a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from the site. There was no seal of the election commission on the batch №03030225. The number of ballot papers was inexact. 1480 were registered instead of 1477. Re-count revealed one extra vote in favor of Republican Party of Armenia. However, these violations are technical and can’t affect the outcome of elections.

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/pan/20090604/32635/

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I think it's time to give the thread a new name and call it the election thread

[aksaia]

Re: Elections in Armenia

Widespread ballot stuffing and intimidation marred Armenia’s presidential election runoff, Human Rights Watch said today.

“For the past eight years, Armenia’s national elections did not meet international standards,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division. “The government had its credibility riding on this election, but has failed the test.”

As of this writing, in the final round of voting, held March 5, President Robert Kocharian was leading over Stepan Demirchian.

Preparations for ballot stuffing appeared to begin on the eve of the elections. According to Aravot and Haykakan Zhamanak, two mainstream newspapers, pre-stamped ballot papers, marked in favor of Kocharian, were in circulation prior to the vote. Demirchian’s campaigners obtained such ballots and showed them to numerous international observers.

Human Rights Watch received eyewitness testimony about ballot stuffing by election officials or by groups of young men, who entered polling stations, bringing sheaves of ballot papers with them. Some opposition officials were assaulted:

In the north Yerevan suburb of Avan, voters reported to Human Rights Watch seeing young men beating an opposition proxy, after she tried to prevent ballot stuffing at polling station 0007/1. In another Avan polling station (0004/1), opposition official Alexander Pirumov told Human Rights Watch that the chairman of the polling station assaulted him—with the help of police—when he tried to prevent two young men from stuffing wads of ballot papers into the box.

Human Rights Watch viewed video footage of a shaken opposition proxy in Echmiadzin (a town fifteen kilometers from Yerevan), showing a sheaf of ballot papers pre-marked in favor of Kocharian that she had managed to prevent from being stuffed into ballot boxes. Allegedly, the chairwoman of her polling station pulled her by the hair and a group of young men kicked her when she tried to prevent the latter from stuffing the ballots into the box. Many other ballots, though, were stuffed into the box.

Election commissions at many polling stations ejected opposition officials and proxies who attempted to resist ballot stuffing and other fraud, or summoned the police to deal with them:

At 1:00 p.m., local human rights defenders and journalists oversaw the reinstatement of Adrine Avakian, an opposition member of the election commission at a central Yerevan polling station (0325), after she was allegedly manhandled and thrown out the door an hour before. Other officials continued to threaten her in the presence of Human Rights Watch researchers, saying, “Stop messing with us or we’ll show you!”
wasserbetten current event
At polling station 0014/1 in Avan, the number of ballots cast exceeded by several hundred the number of registered voters. When opposition officials and proxies tried to record the irregularity, police allegedly fired warning shots and detained the officials, holding them overnight.

The Demirchian campaign told Human Rights Watch that in the evening, police, fellow election commission members, and unidentified thugs at many polling stations had bullied Demirchian’s commission members and proxies or thrown them out of the polling stations altogether, making it impossible for them to monitor the vote count.

In an unusually strong statement issued yesterday at a press conference in Yerevan, the International Election Observation Mission, consisting of monitors from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, said the election fell short of international standards, and cited “widespread incidence of ballot stuffing throughout the country.” Lord Russell-Johnston—the head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation within the mission, said that ballot stuffing took place even in front of Council of Europe observers.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Elections in Armenia

New political party registered in Armenia
21.07.2009 23:36 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 9, a new political party - Armenkan-Ramkavar-Azatakan - was registered in RA State Register. It has already declared of its intention to form a new political pole in Armenia, uniting all parties and organizations intending to undertake drastic reforms in the country, Armenkan-Ramkavar-Azatakan party’s press service reports.

[Federate]

Re: Elections in Armenia

New political party registered in Armenia
21.07.2009 23:36 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 9, a new political party - Armenkan-Ramkavar-Azatakan - was registered in RA State Register. It has already declared of its intention to form a new political pole in Armenia, uniting all parties and organizations intending to undertake drastic reforms in the country, Armenkan-Ramkavar-Azatakan party’s press service reports.

In a country of 3 million people, we have this many political parties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ies_in_Armenia

[londontsi]

Re: Elections in Armenia

we have this many political parties https://<br /> <br /> http://en.wi...ies_in_Armenia

This reminds me of the quiz question

"What is the definition of a camel"

The answer from me tomorrow.
But if you know please give the answer, you can also guess of course.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Elections in Armenia

I don't want to create a new thread

Levon Petrosian's Failed Coup (March 2010)

March was the second anniversary of Levon Ter Petrosian's bloody coup de tat attempt in Armenia. Looking back at how close we came into suffering a major national setback as a result of our people's political immaturity is sobering to say the least. All I can say is thank God that Levon and company were soundly defeated and Armenia continues today on its slow yet forward progression under the capable leadership of Sargsyan's administration. I'd like to bring up some issues about the attempted coup that has bewildered me for two years now.

There are some Armenians today that still do not believe what occurred two years ago in Yerevan was a real coup attempt. There are Armenians today that also say that the violent protesters are not to be blamed for the destruction of public and privet property and the spilling of blood; explaining that they were basically venting their frustrations against government tyranny. There are Armenians today that say the government was gravely wrong in their use of deadly force on the protesters.

Having closely observed what occurred back then, I'm a bit perplexed that we have Armenians that continue to think in this manner.

If you are amongst those who did not see a dangerous coup attempt in Yerevan two years ago, or if you are one to make excuses for the destruction the rioters brought upon Yerevan, I advise you to take into close consideration the following information that appeared in the Armenian and international press at the time. Without a doubt, what occurred then was an attempted coup, perhaps even a "color" revolution imported by Western intelligence operatives. But it must also be pointed out that the coup was badly planned and conceived. The authorities having realized what was occurring put a stop to it virtually overnight. Let's not forget that these types of coups (non-military ones) are less likely to succeed in non-European, non-developed or non-Liberal societies. Moreover, when a particular coup has a clear Western geopolitical dimension (as the one in Armenia did) they are less likely to succeed when general public sentiment and the intelligence apparatus of the targeted government is an ally of the Russian Federation and is closely aided by the FSB.

There are many indicators that what occurred in late 2007/early 2008 was a preconceived plan by Levon's camp to topple the government in Yerevan by force. LA was one of the organizational centers for this project (many of you may remember how well coordinated and organized the anti-Sargsyan demonstrations in LA were at the time). Moreover, individuals from LA were going back and forth to Armenia trying to organize the uprising up to a year before the presidential election. Oligarch Khachatur "Grzo" Sukiasyan was one of the known financial sponsors of Levon's bid to return to power. Moreover, CIA funded news outlets such as Radio Liberty, ArmeniaNow, A1 Plus and Hetq to name only a few were inciting violence against the government and Armenians from Artsakh by disseminating inflammatory news reports during the months leading up to the elections. Their well coordinated media assault on the authorities got particularly alarming following the announcement that Sargsyan had won the elections. Reading commentaries found within the CIA funded "independent" press in Armenia I was appalled by the bloodthirsty rhetoric I was seeing against the authorities and against Armenians from Artsakh. In the particular case of opposition media outlet A1 Plus; they posted an official statement on their official website saying that Levon had won the election in a landslide. The news of Levon's victory came before the vote counting process was officially over, a full nigh before the winner was announced. What was happening? Obviously, A1 Plus, along with all the other participants of the coup, was involved in preparing their battlefield.

Thus, according to the coup organizers, the following was scenario: Levon had won the elections in a landslide. Serj had stolen the election by resorting to vote rigging and intimidation. As a result, the people needed to rise in the name of truth, justice - and the American way.

In a move that also gave the coup somewhat of a military flavor, general Manvel Grigoryan and some other "Yekrapah" veterans were said to have been contacted by the Levon camp before and during the protests. Perhaps feeling emboldened by their contact with general Grigorian and the Yekrapah, Levon's camp had mentioned at some time during the protests that the nation's military was on their side. However, general Grigorian seems to have hesitated when he was taken in for questioning by law enforcement authorities. When the coup did not garner enough public support and the authorities seemed able to keep their cohesiveness, military men like general Girgorian proved smart enough to keep their hands clean of the mess. Finally, the violent way in which the protesters and their organizers were behaving leading up to the final clash on March 1, 2008 was also a clear indicator that Levon's camp had more than "protesting" on their minds.

Apparently the Western leaning sheeple in our nation did not learn anything from observing how politics is played out in the West: In the West, the entrenched authorities will cordially allow you to protest as long as you are not able to change anything or pose a real threat to them. Anyone recall the massive protests of 2003 in America against Washington's invasion of Iraq? What changed? Can anyone imagine what consequences there would be if protesters in America posed a real threat to the authorities?

Nevertheless, I don't want to discuss the police raid during the early morning of March 1 where some protesters got roughed up and supposedly some weapons and narcotics were confiscated from law enforcement officials. Reports about the narcotics and the weapons may or may not have been true. However, regardless of what happened during the morning raid, by early afternoon the protest leaders were preparing thousands of their sheeple for violence against the state. And this was also about the time when Azerbaijan began to carry out a major attack on Armenian defense lines in Artsakh to test the government's cohesion during Armenia's internal crisis. The Azeri attack was successfully repulsed, but the Armenian side suffer several killed. I vividly remember animals in the Levon's camp at the time shamelessly saying that the authorities in Artsakh had "provoked" the attack by Azerbaijan to discredit Levon...

Any self-respecting government, especially a government that has Western intelligence working against it, especially a government with close ties with Moscow, especially a government that feels besieged by its neighbors in a very volatile region, especially a government witnessing rioters in their capitol attacking the police, destroying property and engaging in theft - would have/should have reacted with deadly force, especially considering who it was that was trying to come back to power.

The only thing I regret about what the government did that day was that they didn't do it fast enough and because the coup organizers were not included in the final death tally...

Had these people attempted what they did in America they would have been ruthlessly crushed by enforcement authorities even before they got out of their homes. Can anyone in their right mind imagine a corrupt foreign funded American politician organizing a massive coup in Washington DC, despite the widespread corruption currently going on in government there? Can anyone imagine America's poor and disgruntled running amok and destroying Washington DC? There are probably tens of millions of disgruntled Americans today that are probably more pissed-off at their government than Armenians in Armenia are at theirs. But can any of you imagine Americans doing to America what Armenians did to their nation?

Those rioters in Yerevan at the time were not merely expressing their frustrations, they were simply expressing their animalistic urges which was being cleverly incited by the coup organizers and foreign funded propaganda organs. There is a big difference between protesting against one's government due to legitimate grievances and acting like savages at the behest of corrupt former officials and foreign intelligence services. To this day the thing that I am not able to comprehend is this: why did the people choose to stand beside Levon? Of all the people on earth, why Levon?

I understand that the people were unhappy with the ruling administration in Yerevan at the time (even though their living standards had greatly improved since Levon's days but that's another story). But why did they attempt to replace Sargsyan's administration with a gang of treasonous criminals that already once raped and pillaged the country in the 1990s? Why did a significant portion of our nation's citizenry act this screwed-up? If what occurred back then is an accurate depiction of our people's political maturity today, then I can emphatically state that we do not deserve an independent nation. If this is how our people will react against its leadership, against its military, against its community, I rather we give the house keys to Moscow and have them run the show for us again. What occurred two years ago convinced me that the Armenian people are not ready, and will probably not be ready for a long time, to govern themselves without the risk of national suicide or self-destruction.

Let the powerful and wealthy nations of this world flirt with the nonsensical notion of democracy, we Armenians simply can't afford such risks. However, the current sociopolitical system in Armenia, feudal in essence, needs to be changed nevertheless. I would be very comfortable with having a strongman in Armenia (like Russia's Vladimir Putin) crushing powerful individuals in the country and transferring their power and wealth into governmental structures. We need a leader progressive enough to allow the people room for cultural and economic growth yet powerful enough to crush the powerful clans and their followers in the country.

As the Levon clan and recent events regarding the political process going on between Ankara and Yerevan have clearly demonstrated, we Armenians may be genius in business, academia and the arts, but we continue to be total idiots when it come to politics. And as long as we continue our nasty habit of not properly assessing, analyzing, understanding and observing politics from a pan-national and a geopolitical perspective and context, we will forever remain a small and vulnerable nation at the mercy of bigger powers.

Arevagal

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Elections in Armenia

Armenia Assaulted by Orange Agents


Perhaps the empire just doesn’t get it. They need to re-examine their despicable, foolish and devious scheme to bring an orange scenario to an embattled, besieged Armenia. Under blockade by neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia continues to prosper despite some instances of corruption and economic isolation. Armenia is not fertile ground for any sort of orange scenario. Armenians are generally politically astute, pro-Russian and not easily swayed. They are also acutely aware of the fact that there is no future for them as vassals of the empire.

Armenian history is said to be 12,000 years old, and Mt. Ararat is the historic scene where Noah‘s Ark is said to have rested, a revered and treasured Armenian landmark. An archeologist’s dream come true, Armenia is a land of quaint churches and elaborately and meticulously carved khatchkars (Orthodox crosses). Constant and reliable, the centuries old friendship and alliance with Russia is unshakable. Most Armenians are aware of the fact that there probably would be no Armenia if not for Russia. No plots or schemes by the empire are going to change that reality.

The empire also wins no friends among Armenians for its consistent policy of Genocide denial. These policies go beyond the geo-political considerations given as an excuse, such as the US base in occupied Western Armenia, under control of Turkey and their alliances with Armenian enemies Turkey, Israel and Azerbaijan. And then there are the oil pipelines…constructed to bypass Armenia, a country in a strategic position between east and west, a crossroads as it were. As a result of the Armenian Genocide of 1894-1923, Armenians lost most of their homeland and over 1.5 million Armenians were murdered in the most horrendous and brutal fashion imaginable and unimaginable. To this day, no Nuremberg trials, no compensation or apology have occurred. Therefore, the memory of this tragedy in an ongoing issue of importance to Armenians.

In Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian is generally despised for his corrupt ruinous policies while President of Armenia. He is also despised for proffering the notion that the recently liberated Armenian land of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) should be returned to Azerbaijan. Artsakh is now an independent country. The US regime is financially backing Ter-Petrosian and causing trouble in the background. Ter-Petrosian had the strange idea that he had a snowball’s chance in hell of winning an election to be President. Fat chance. Now he sends agitators to do his bidding, a la Soros funding, all the best agitators money and the empire can buy.

On Public Armenian Television, Armenian Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian told the following of his knowledge of events: “These people decided who the winner is five minutes after the election. This is their characteristic feature. I learned about my alleged resignation from journalists. Levon Ter-Petrosian and his team-mates have exhausted the sources of lies which exceed all possible borders,” the speaker said. “They spread lies about all and offense all those who are not with them. They are filled with hatred and revenge,” he said. "OK, let's say all the grenades, pistols and automatics were planted by the regime, what do you have to say about all those hooligans with rods and sticks, beating the police, throwing bricks and stones, burning cars including busses and an ambulance, looting shops and supermarkets?"

According to various local reports, 8 persons were killed in orange demonstrations as the Army was called in to restore the peace. They also report that Opera and Republican Square are swarming with army troops and military police armed to the teeth with AK-47s, belt-fed battle rifles and there are dozens of light tanks in both locations. In addition to that, there are troops scattered in posts all over the city and on all the roads into the city. One hundred and thirty-one persons were reported injured in the March 1 disturbances. An on the scene observer sent this report: "Hi, this morning I walked from the Opera House until Mashtoz Underpass. Everything was just fine. Police closed the underpass toward city hall and near the French embassy where they made a mess. My friend 8:30 at night went everywhere with the exception of closed areas and found calm...all shops are open and traffic is normal, 8 people got killed and about 30 people got arrested for looting, all young guys."

Interior troops and police officers suffered bullet wounds and injuries in the March 1 clashes with rioters in Yerevan. On his visit to the hospital, President Kocharian was accompanied by police chief Hayk Harutyunian and other officials. Kocharian went from one hospital ward to another and spoke to officers and servicemen. Hospital chief, Arthur Petrosian, said they admitted 33 wounded officers and servicemen on March 1 until 8.30 pm and 27 others after 9 pm. He said 11 received bullet wounds, eight were hospitalized with heavy symptoms of gas poisoning, 2 received knife wounds. Seven servicemen went to their quarters after receiving first aid and 11 others were operated on. The chief of the hospital said their condition is satisfactory now.

At the end of February, prior to the breakout of violence, a vehicle was apprehended trying to enter the country loaded with weapons and ammunition. On March 1, 2008, Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian declared a 2-day state of emergency in compliance of article 55.6 of the RA (Republic of Armenia) Constitution (threat to state and population security). Fortunately, anti-terrorist, anti-orange scenario joint exercises were held by Armenia and Russia in anticipation of such occurrences. Meanwhile the empire is mouthing duplicitous, hypocritical words about “excessive use of force.”

Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis said, “The state of emergency suspends the application of several rights and freedoms protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. Under Article 15 of the Convention the Armenian Government must inform me of the measures which it has taken and the reasons therefore. I expect that they will do so without any delay,” the Council of Europe press division reports. The recent presidential elections in Armenia saw Serzh Sarksyan, Kocharian’s number two man, elected as President of Armenia. The voting result was unmistakable: Serzh Sarkisyan - 862,369 (52,82%) votes, Levon Ter-Petrosian – 351,222 (21,5%).votes.

The February 19th presidential elections were not only characterized as `free and fair' by the CIS observers, but also received the positive assessments of the Western observation missions. The observation mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which stands out in terms of its strict and meticulous attitude towards the electoral processes held in former USSR territories, clearly recorded that, `The presidential elections held in Armenia on February 19 were mostly in line with the commitments to the OSCE and the Council of Europe.” But this didn’t satisfy the orange agitators. Kocharian, throughout his term as President, has had a warm, brotherly relationship with his counterpart in Russia, Vladimir Putin. Like the outgoing president, Robert Kocharian, Mr. Sarkisyan is from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Both men were commanders in the war.

The newly elected Armenian President released this message to the people:

“Dear Compatriots, In consequence of the recent events, our people suffered great losses. There are casualties among policemen, who performed their duty, and among protesters, who fell under the influence of a group of people. Hundreds of civilians suffered from illegal acts of the radical opposition. Leaders of the co-called ‘movement’ made targets of their own supporters and policemen to suit their own ends. The initiators of disorders must answer for their deeds before the law, history and generations. With pain, I conceive that our compatriots fell victim to blind hatred of some individuals. I share your grief and wish you courage and strength to overcome this tragedy…”

As the cleanup crew mitigates the after effects of the recent lawlessness, one can only hope that the street sweepers will also sweep away the trash known as orange agent provocateurs and leave this proud, struggling nation in peace.

Source: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/col...rmeniaorange-0

[KarotheGreat]

Re: Elections in Armenia

ARMENIA UNDER SIEGE


Ever since independence, Armenia’s main asset has been its internal stability. And every external and internal force has threatened to destabilize the country to get its agenda promoted. At every such crisis, brinkmanship has played a role, until sober heads have prevailed to avert a catastrophe. In the aftermath of the February 19 presidential election, those sober heads were not around to be found and the catastrophe took place with unforeseen consequences for long time to come. Indeed Kocharian’s government and opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian were at loggerheads, expecting the other party to blink, which was not to happen. At this time, a government-imposed state of emergency has turned into an internal siege for Armenia’s population, while an external siege is being configured by outside forces, unfortunately aided by internal desperate voices. A tremendous amount of damage has already been caused by the loss of human lives, but that is only the beginning in a rapidly deteriorating crisis.

As anticipated, Azerbaijan has raised the ante by attacking the Armenian positions in the Martakert region of Karabagh, certainly encouraged and emboldened by the internal turmoil in Armenia. This is a loss of wills across the lines of the ceasefire, and a more dangerous escalation of hostilities may be in the offing, if the war planners in Baku determine that the Armenian government is too weak to retaliate to a major onslaught. While countries, like Azerbaijan, can get away with murder, because of the oil factor or strategic advantage, Western powers are quick to admonish Armenia with impunity, at the first sign of any infraction. And that may have long-term political and economic impact on the country.

The chorus of external condemnations has already begun, with a spark from none other than the former president and recently-defeated presidential candidate, Levon Ter Petrossian. Indeed, on March 5, an op-ed article signed by the first president appeared in the Washington Post and subsequently circulated in the news media. Of course, no one would like to see a state of emergency imposed in Armenia, crippling the normal course of life, but Ter Petrossian himself must be the last one to complain about it, since in 1990 he was the one who ordered armored cars to crush the demonstrations, following rigged elections. If his actions were justified at that time, what other alternative was left to the present government to calm the situation?

But what is more dangerous is to invite foreign governments to interfere in the internal situation of the country and use their leverage to warn the government against its antidemocratic actions. Besides the political pressures, the most effective ways for the regional or world powers is to use their economic leverage, on which hinges Armenia’s lifeline and the future. The European Union has many grants, but the most significant aid comes from the US through its annual aid package, which is already dwindling from year to year. But what is most dangerous is the Millennium Challenge project, which is contingent upon Armenia’s democratic process and economic reform. That is the most effective weapon in the arsenal of the Bush administration, which is significantly delaying to recognize the election results and congratulate the new president.

Ter-Petrossian blames the West for "the deafening silence," all the while criticizing the OSCE observers for approving the election results. He further appeals to the US government by asking a particular action. "What do the people of Armenia expect from the West, and the United States in particular? At the very least, we expect a strong and unequivocal condemnation of the violence that occurred on March 1… This condemnation should accompany a sternwarning…" Ter-Petrossian’s popularity is not in question here, nor would any one try to applaud the emergency role.

But what is very serious is to appeal to outside forces, which are looking for any pretext to tighten the noose around Armenia and strangulate it economically. The US and Russia have a confrontational posture in the Southern Caucasus and the Cold War era is returning to that region. Armenia’s cordial ties with Russia and economic relations with Iran are not looked upon favorably in Washington, despite the assurances that the US administration "understands" the underlying causes of those relations. When push comes to shove, Armenia’s lobbying power in the US may easily be overrun. Two days later, Ter-Petrossian’s request from the US is echoed in a nasty editorial on March 7, in the New York Times, under the heading "Dark Days in Armenia." It is significant to note that Turkey’s brutal war against the Kurdish minority, which has caused 40,000 deaths has not yet deserved that kind of characterization in the editorial columns of the Times.

The Times editorial specifically addresses the most vulnerable aspect of the US-Armenian relations: "Armenia, embroiled in a lengthy standoff with neighboring Azerbaijan, is relatively isolated in its own region and especially values its great relations with the United States," according to the editorial. It then talks about inviting the Bush administration to hit where it hurts most: "the main responsibility lies with Armenia’s government leaders, and it is to them that the White House must address its protests." And of course we know the nature of these "protests;" to deny beleaguered Armenia economic help. The continuation of the crisis is to no one’s advantage and it will damage Armenia irreparably, which had just begun to give signals of economic recovery.

The crisis can only be resolved internally by engaging opposing domestic groups. Any outside interference may only further exacerbate the already tense situation and lead nowhere. In addition to media orchestration, rallies are being organized on the West Coast to amplify the media furor and to damage Armenia’s standing in the political arena. The protests are mainly organized by expatriates, driven mostly by the guilt feeling of having abandoned the homeland. The same masses of expatriates were vehemently against Ter- Petrossian, when he was in power. It is time to sober up to stop undermining the foundations of Armenia’s statehood and denying its population direly needed economic recovery. Armenians seem to be their worst enemies.

Source: http://www.azg.am/EN/2008031402


UKRAINIAN REVOLUTIONARY TEACHES LESSONS TO L. TER-PETROSYAN


Judging by all, L. Ter-Petrosyan is not going to calm down as he is most probably preparing for the second stage of the revolutionary process. In particular, we have information that on May 26 L. Ter-Petrosyan organized a reception in his private residence in honor of some Dmirtry Potekhin. The name doesn't say anything to the Armenian society, but this personality is now perceived as a political lifebuoy for L. Ter-Petrosyan and his proponents. It is as though this Ukrainian young man were going to guide L. Ter-Petrosyan's team, enriching its tactical arsenal. And who is Potekhin and why did the meeting with his participation acquire such a great importance? D. Potekhin is one of the most outstanding ideologists and coordinators of the Ukrainian orange revolution, as well as Head of the so-called European Strategy Group analytical center; he also leads the movement and, together with the leaders of the organization, he was also one of the advisors of the Georgian Kmara organization. That's to say, he is one of the chief players of the Ukrainian orange revolution, as well as one of the leaders of the political group with the help of which Ukraine is now making rapid steps towards integration to NATO.

Now he has come to Armenia to instruct L. Ter-Petrosyan how to wash the brains of young people and set up 3-4 youth groups or, as the say, youth movements which should grow like mushrooms after rain. They practically consist of the same people but bear different names, such as Begins, Now, Get up, We, etc. It should be noted that before leaving for the United States (May 10-12, 2008), David Shahnazaryan - L. Ter-Petrosyan's representative, visited Georgia with the purpose of receiving a political orientation, and there, he had a meeting with such key figures of the Georgian revolution as Ilvlian Khaindrava, Nougzar Gogorishvili, Georg- Khoutsishvili, Vakhtang Kolbaya, Arnold Stepanyan and last but not the least, Ukrainian representatives Dmitry Potekhin and his assistant Alexandra Delemenchouk. The meeting took place in one of the local revolutionary headquarters operating under the financial support of Soros foundation. According to available information, the participants of the meeting held in Tbilisi on May 10 made a decision that D. Potekhin and his group should submit to the center of colored revolutions a relevant report on Armenia and receive instructions from there for initiating certain activities in our country. After the meeting, D. Shahnazaryan returned to Armenia and informed L. Ter-Petrosyan of the results.

By the instruction of the latter, D. Shahnazaryan put through L. Zourabyan and D. Potekhin with each other. D. Potekhin left Tbilisi for Ukraine and, after submitting relevant reports, instructed him from one of the colored revolution centers of Warsaw to go to Armenia and initiate the process. On May 25, D. Potekhin and his assistant Alexandra Demenchouk left Kiev for Tbilisi and, with the help of Arnold Stepanyan, Head of Multi-National Georgian organization (which receives funding from Soros), got in touch with L. Zourabyan, LTP's representative. A day later, on May 26, the vanguards arrived in Armenia. According to our information, they first met with L. Zourabyan and Arman Mousinyan and last but not the least, had a meeting in L. Ter-Petrosyan's private residence. On the same day after the confidential meeting, they crossed the Armenian-Georgian border in a car with darkened windows and returned to Tbilisi.

The visit bore a strictly practical and pragmatic character. As to what agreements were achieved in the meeting between L. Ter-Petrosyan and D. Potekhin, is unknown even to the people who have the closest ties with the ex-President. However, based on available information, it is possible to have an idea as to what priority Dima Potekhin has established for the Armenian opposition. That's to say, to organize campaigns with the participation of small groups of individuals around issues arousing concern in society, with the purpose of undermining the law enforcement system and the authorities. For instance, the groups consisting of 25-30 people should dress up and hold 3 campaigns: send SMS messages to appoint a meeting near one of the crowded metro stations, dress up like prisoners and chant the following words for an hour, We protest against the President; we feel as though we were prisoners, and our country had turned into a prison, etc.

Dressed up in white T-shirts, the same group shall, within the same day, organize an environmental campaign and then, choose another dressing and hold another campaign for increasing the pensions and so on and so forth. This advisory package was partially transferred to L. Ter-Petrosyan's team by the Ukrainian and Georgian teachers back in mid-February and it was immediately put into practice as a basis. After following L. Ter-Petrosyan's activities for two days consecutively, any citizen, especially a journalist, will understand that they are complying with the instructions of their foreign teacher. And such instructions will become more diverse and aggressive in the near future, and their funding will increase thus becoming permanent. This is why one of the godfathers of the Ukrainian orange revolution arrived in Armenia. L. Ter-Petrosyan's team was instructed to set up 70-100 similar groups consisting of 25-30 people. This is only a small part of the instructions of the political technologists. The main series of events is to be organized in the period between June and August, and the result is anticipated in September in the form of a revolutionary situation.

Let's also add that right after the meeting L. Zourabyan was sent to Moscow on a two-day unscheduled visit, by the instruction of L. Ter-Petrosyan. According to our information, he had a meeting with the individuals recommended by D. Potekhin; these people are to organize the flow of the required financial resources to Armenia. Analyzing the activities of L. Ter-Petrosyan and his supporters, we can definitely state the following: with the help of L. Ter-Petrosyan, a henchman appointed by the West and the xxxish-Masonic lobby, an attempt is being made to proceed with the colored revolution (which began back in September 2007) in Armenia and achieve a final result with the help of a third country (in this particular case, Ukraine); however, the attempts failed in the first stage of the struggle. We can definitely say it will fail at the second stage as well, but everybody will suffer losses during the whole process, and the country will, for some period of time, incur the damages caused by the colored revolutions.

Source: http://www.armtown.com/news/en/has/20080531/260183729